Viphada Thammavongsa from Laos became the first international student to defend her Master's thesis in the English-language Management programme at the Institute of Economics and Management. The work is devoted to the management of the food safety system in enterprises and the need for its implementation in her home country.

- The problem with Laos is that import dominates and export is not developed at all, - says Viphada Thammavongsa . - Quality standards and a food safety management system are almost not applied at all. Lao business does not invest in this area because it is expensive. However, the need to introduce such a system is obvious, because it is important for the consumer and for the further development of companies, to enter both regional and global markets.

As Natalia Redchikova , the research supervisor, notes, Viphada had done a great job on her thesis, she interviewed consumers in Laos and Russia about their attitude toward the quality of food.

- And we came to the conclusion that not only the legislation and standards affect the food security system that the business forms, but also the consumers themselves, putting high demands on quality, - says Natalia Redchikova.

About her reasons for choosing Tomsk State University, Viphada replied:

- I know about the good reputation of TSU, besides, I found a programme in English, which greatly facilitated the process of studying, because it was difficult for me to study Russian. I really liked the teachers and their expert level. Almost all of them were candidates or doctors of science, it's impressive. I have a lot of friends in Laos who are choosing their place to study. They like Russia, and I will certainly advise them to choose Tomsk.

She also noted that her study in the Siberian city was a “test for strength” and the “challenge” at the same time, because she is the first international student who studied in this English-language programme, and she had an individual study plan:

- I prepared a lot before going to classes, especially on management accounting. I needed to build up a certain background to understand everything during the lecture. It was difficult but I did it. It was interesting.